The Life You Love
by WaterFarie88
Summary: A young girl travels to Transylvania to discover her ties to a certain vampire (and to keep an eye on Van Helsing). That vampires turned out to be one of Dracula's fledglings.
1. The Beginnings of a Journey

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Van Helsing. I only own my own characters.  
  
Note: Please tell me if Carl and Van Helsing seem a bit out of character.

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Chapter 1   
  
The silence was broken by an earth-shattering scream. Shella whipped her head in the direction of the cry and dark brown, almost black eyes scanned the rooftops. _Maybe Gabriel is over there..._She thought, a bit hopeful._ I hope he is staying out of trouble... _She walked close to Saint Peter's Cathedral.  
  
"Van Helsing, you murderer!" A voice carried by the wind cried out.  
  
Shella shook her head sadly. "Who did you kill now, Gabriel?" Se whispered to the wind, hoping again all hope he would hear her. She walked to the confession booth inside the Cathedral. "Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned..."  
  
"You bloody have!" The screen retracted and a dirty-blonde friar could be seen. He looked a _bit_ angry. "Where have you been all this time, Shella?!"  
  
"Everywhere... Nowhere..." She answered nonchalantly.  
  
"Don't give me that! You have worried the whole Order."  
  
Shella sighed softly; she hated the times people got mad at her. "Friar Carl, calm down and let me in. I have made an important discovery."  
  
He pulled a lever and the wall opened with a clink to admit Shella. Carl led her down drafty stone stairs, into an enormous chamber filled with people of all ethnic background and some dangerous equipment.  
  
"Father Ignavis, I have found our little runaway." Carl shouted to a nearby priest.  
  
Shella coughed, "Excuse me?"  
  
"Er... I mean, Shella has returned to us." Carl corrected hastily.  
  
"I do not have time for this, Friar Carl. I have to open the doors for Van Helsing." Father Ignavis hurried up the stairs. Cardinal Jinette followed him shortly.  
  
"Hmph! I get no appreciation around here." Carl grumbled.  
  
"Carl?" Shella whispered his name softly, almost afraid to talk.  
  
"It is always "Carl, do this" or "Carl, do that"." He continued as if Shella didn't say anything.  
  
"Carl?" She said, a bit louder.  
  
"Van Helsing isn't much better. Not even a thank-you from them."  
  
"Carl?!" she yelled close to his ear.  
  
He gave a little jump and turned to her. "You don't have to shout! I am not deaf yet!"  
  
"I think I remember something... about myself..."  
  
"Well? What is it?"  
  
"I remember shooting arrows with a friend. We were in a forest somewhere near my old home. I can't remember where it was though..." Shella began uneasily. She always despised talking about her memories, but she knows they were important and the people of the Order deserve to know who she is.  
  
"That isn't very helpful. All we know is that you can use a bow."  
  
"...And he asked me a silly question..."  
  
"What was the question?"  
  
"He asked me "Can I have some blood?"..." Shella glanced down and shuffled her feet.  
  
Carl gasped, "What asked you? When was it?"  
  
Shella sighed dejectedly, "I do not know... I'm sorry, Carl." She glanced at him and he could see she had tears in her eyes.  
  
All of a sudden, a rugged looking man burst in with Cardinal Jinette and Father Ignavis following.  
  
"The Knights of the Holy Order do not exist!" Cardinal Jinette was saying.  
  
"Carl, what new things do you have?" The man asked the friar, not paying the Cardinal any mind.  
  
Carl scrambled around his work area, explaining everything to him.  
  
"Where are you sending me?" The man asked Cardinal Jinette.  
  
"To the far side of Romania, where locals are constantly terrorized by werewolves and vampires. To a place called Transylvania." Father Ignavis answered before the Cardinal could go off on a lesson on Transylvania. "You are to save the last of the Valerious family and to kill Dracula."  
  
Cardinal Jinette turned on his projector. A picture of a man appeared. "This was one of the Valerious. He disappeared about a year ago, while on a mission to kill Dracula. His ancestor vowed that until Dracula is killed, no one in their family shall pass through the Pearly Gates." That picture faded away only to be replaced by a picture of a younger looking man. "This is Velkan Valerious. He is the son of the missing man. Velkan also has a sister." A picture of a beautiful young woman appeared. "This is Anna Valerious. Van Helsing, you must kill Dracula and protect the last of the Valerious bloodline."  
  
"Well, if you are battling vampires and werewolves, you'll need some equipment." Carl examined several weapons and thrust them into Van Helsing's arms.  
  
Van Helsing pushed them back at Carl. "You are coming with me, Carl."  
  
"Me? But I will only slow you down!" Carl protested, but it was no use.  
  
"You know more about killing werewolves and vampires than I do. Don't worry; I'll put you to good use." He smiled.  
  
"I'll come too." Shella interrupted everyone.  
  
"No! Absolutely not!" Father Ignavis refused.  
  
"Why not? I need to find my ties to a certain vampire. Carl understands, don't you?" Shella turned to face Carl.  
  
"Why, yes, of course I understand. It's actually a very simple concept. Shella..." Carl began.  
  
She interrupted Carl. "Van Helsing, let me come with you." Shella looked at Van Helsing with her pleading eyes.  
  
"Alright, but you have to be careful." He said.  
  
"Of course." Shella smiled, baring her teeth as if she herself was a vampire. "I know how to shoot a bow now."  
  
Carl gave an involuntary shudder.

* * *

Father Ignavis stood on the banks of the Aegean Sea. "I hope you find your past, Shella." He gave the girl a quick hug. Shella was like a daughter to him. He, along with Friar Carl, cared for her since Van Helsing saved her from a monstrous bat. "Even though Carl and Van Helsing won't admit it, they still care about you. You are like a little sister to them."  
  
"A rather annoying sister." Carl grumbled under his breath.  
  
Van Helsing chuckled, "But still a sister, in a sense."  
  
"Go on, Shella, and may you always follow your heart." Father Ignavis smoothed her brownish hair away and gave her a fatherly kiss on the forehead.  
  
The three of them boarded the boat and embarked on a journey that may change them forever. Father Ignavis watched the boat until it was but a speck on the vast sea. He whispered a prayer to the sea, hoping his "daughter" will return to him alive and well.  
  
Shella kept waving good-bye until the shore blended with the horizon. She blinked back tears and started fiddling with some of Van Helsing's equipment.  
  
"Hey! Hands off, dearest "Sister"! We wouldn't want you to hurt yourself." Carl remarked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.  
  
Shella turned to Carl with teary eyes and a look that could kill. "Here! Have them back!" She thrust the weapons back to Carl and took out her two daggers. "Fine, I'll just examine my OWN weapons!"  
  
Carl and Van Helsing gave each other a look that said "What's up with her?"  
  
"What is wrong with me? Why can't I remember anything...?" A tear trickled down Shella's cheek. The mystery that has surrounded her past is finally getting to her. Shella needed a loving family now, more than ever.  
  
Van Helsing sat down next to her. "I'm sure you will regain your memories."  
  
"It might take a while, but we will find your past." Carl added.  
  
Shella lied down on the deck of the ship, hugging her knees to her chest. She tried to reach the peaceful rest known as sleep.

* * *

Van Helsing and Carl awoke to a cry.  
  
"Maverick!" Shella sat up and started to tremble. "What has Dracula done to you?!"  
  
Carl flopped over and almost rolled off the deck, into the churning sea. Van Helsing grabbed Carl's robe and pulled him back on board. He gently placed a hand on Shella's shoulder.  
  
"I remember something..." she whispered cautiously.  
  
"That's nice. Now go back to sleep." Carl said with a yawn. "It's still night time."  
  
"I remember something!" Shella said urgently. Her change in tone made Van Helsing and Carl perk their ears.  
  
"What do you remember?" He urged her to go on.  
  
"I remember a face... of a boyish man and... a name. The name was..." she stuttered; the name had escaped her.  
  
"...Maverick..."  
  
"That's it! How did you know, Van Helsing?" Shella had a thoughtful look on her face.  
  
"You screamed it out as if it was the devil's name himself!" Carl stated with a glance at Van Helsing.  
  
Shella crawled next to Carl and whispered to him, "He was the one who asked me that question... Maverick asked me for blood."  
  
"Shella, I think we deserve to know your past... everything about you that you remember..."

* * *

I decided to cut this chapter off before Shella explained her past. I don't know why, but it just didn't seem to belong in this chapter. 


	2. A Shrouded Past

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Van Helsing. I only own my own characters.  
  
Note: Please tell me if Carl and Van Helsing seem a bit out of character.  
  
Is Vladislaus the correct spelling of Dracula's first name?

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Chapter 2   
  
Shella scuffled over to the corner, and hugged her legs. "Well... you know what I am called, my name... I have always been called Shella. I don't remember being called anything else."  
  
"Do you remember anything about the time before you came to the Order?" Carl was very inquisitive.  
  
"I remember... running through a forest with Maverick. We were being chased... by" Shella thought as hard as she could, sifting through all the information in her mind. Her past, as she knew it, was playing back to her via her mind's eye. "...Count Vladislaus Dracula. I remember tried to grab me, but Maverick took my place. I think I was about 6 or 7 years old."  
  
"Why was Dracula after you and Maverick in the first place?"  
  
Shella glanced at Carl. "You ask too many questions. I don't remember why Dracula was after us. After that, I didn't see Maverick for a while. Then, when I was about 10 years old, he came to visit me at night. I had gone to bed early that day and was awoken by a cold draft coming from the window. I got up and walked over. A werewolf howled somewhere in the forest by my house and I froze." Shella was trying really hard to remember everything. She paused after every sentence; remembering everything was starting to become a bit painful for her.  
  
"It's okay, Shella, don't worry, we're here..." Carl placed his hand on her head. "Your past may be important for our future so please try to remember."  
  
Shella gave Carl a look that said "Why are you being so nice all of a sudden?" or "Who are you and what have you done with Carl?" She took a deep breath and continued with her story, "There was a noise behind me and I felt a shiver travel down my spine.  
  
'Hello, Shella. I missed you.' Maverick said to me as I spun around to face him.  
  
"I remember I almost screamed because Maverick looked so..." Shella searched for the word. "...ghostly.  
  
'Come with me to the forest. It will be just as it was before I left.' Maverick extended his hand to me.  
  
"I was dumb enough to grab his hand and follow him out to the forest." Shella paused and glanced at the sky. The moon was full and shone brightly; she shuddered at the sight. "The moon was full, like tonight. We shoot our bows and arrows for a few hours.  
  
"Maverick turned to me and whispered 'Can I have some blood?' He had this pleading look on his face. His eyes were almost hypnotic. Then, when I was about to ask Maverick where he had been for the past few years, we heard a growl behind us."  
  
Carl said while Shella paused, "A werewolf..."  
  
She nodded, "Maverick and I were attacked by a werewolf. He shouted something to it but the werewolf didn't listen. He pounced on me, knocking me unconscious. The last thing I remember before I blacked out was the feeling of strong arms lifting me into the air. Van Helsing knows the rest. I regained my consciousness a few hours later, I think. When I opened my eyes, I saw a monstrous bat with fangs standing over me and I screamed. Van Helsing heard me and came to my rescue. I don't think I need to say anything else about that."  
  
Van Helsing was silent during the entire tale and now he finally spoke, "That created more questions than it answered."  
  
"Who were your parents? Where did you used to live?" Carl thought everything over. "This just doesn't make any sense."  
  
"You're telling _me_..." Shella glared at Carl, "I _know_ this doesn't make any sense. All I remember about my parents was that they lived in a castle near the forest. After Maverick disappeared, Mother went missing too. We assumed Maverick and Mother died. My father died shortly after I turned 9 years old, of a broken heart. My parents were really close. Maverick's family came to live with my family. It was a big castle, and my father tried to fill it with as many of our closest friends and family as he could. He wanted me to grow up in a loving atmosphere." She scoffed, "You both see how well his plan turned out. I haven't seen my family or Maverick's family since I came to the Knights of the Holy Order."  
  
"Do you think any of them are still alive?" Carl asked.  
  
"I doubt it... I..." Shella trailed off.  
  
Carl and Van Helsing glanced at each other, yet again. Shella's past was so shrouded, not even she herself knew the full extent of it. Shella's eyes started to droop; reliving her past has drained her of her precious energy. She entered a dream-like state once again.

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I'm sorry this is a short chapter, but I just wanted to leave her past separate from everything else. 


End file.
